No Tamari, Please

It happened again today.

I was dining at a Japanese restaurant with a friend, very much in the mood for sashimi, and I gave the usual briefing to the server- no gluten, so soy, no dairy.

She assured me the items I’d selected would, indeed, be free of all of the above, (not too hard to keep it simple when you’re just ordering raw fish and a salad with no dressing, after all).

Then, right  before she left the table, she asked if I’d like the gluten free soy sauce.  

Um, right…remember the no soy part?

It wasn’t just her; it’s happened almost every time I’ve dined at any place that has any sort of soy type of item on its menu.  

No gluten + tamari ≠ Paleo.

Tamari and soy sauce are both made from soy.  Both, therefore, are not Paleo.  

If one is not Paleo and opts for a gluten-free diet, rather than a Paleo regime and isn’t bothered about inflicting soy and all it’s offensive side effects on their body, then one might choose to ingest Tamari.

Some argue that fermented soy is a better option; yes, I agree with that, it’s better than soy that’s not fermented, and certainly better than all the uber processed soy products, like packaged soy milk or soy protein powders, but again, that still doesn’t make it an ideal thing to eat.

Wondering what to put on your sashimi?

Nothing.

Why douse a beautiful piece of wild salmon in soy sauce?  To me, that would be akin to smothering a piece of rare grass-fed filet with Velveeta.

Just taste the flavor.

No soy, no tamari, thank you…